1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of communications and, more particularly, to a model for an open communications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The rapidly changing communications environment has resulted in substantive changes in how technology capital and operational resources are allocated. Broadband technology is fundamentally changing the traditional business models followed by providers of wireline, wireless, and data network services. This change in technology and business models, combined with a gradual shift in consumer behavior, is leading to a new era of business challenges and opportunity for service providers (SPs). During this period of transition, SPs are intensely focused on reducing costs and improving process efficiency, which sets the operational foundation and economic model for new revenue generating services.
As pressure on voice services revenue increases, SPs may choose to address the significant expenses associated with network components. Still, the network is under scrutiny not just as a result of the expenses, but also because of the important role the network plays in enabling new and innovative value-added services, which is another method used to attract customers within a highly competitive marketplace. A combination of pressures to reduce expenditures and enhance features has resulted in a desire for SPs to shift from proprietary, switch based communication models to models based upon standardized components. Many believe that a standards-based, open communication infrastructure can reduce the cost of providing communications services while increasing the flexibility of communication networks. Optimally, a standards-based, open communication infrastructure would be a distributed, heterogeneous network that permits the usage and integration of various commercial off the shelf (COTS) communication solutions.
Unfortunately, SPs and providers of telephony services have not been able to agree upon a common set of standards-upon which to construct such a standards-based, open communication infrastructure. Groups defining open communication standards and venders offering COTS technologies have grown along divergent paths. That is, most such standards groups and technology venders operate independently from one another when specifying standards and developing technology. These groups rarely focus on more than one layer or component of a total solution framework, resulting in gaps and overlaps that solution integrators must resolve. Accordingly, the resulting network solutions constructed by integrators can be tightly integrated, closed systems including proprietary, non-standardized integration code and/or techniques. As a result, it can be difficult for SPs to construct a flexible, platform independent, product independent solution that integrates COTS technologies in a timely fashion.